Blind
by PreciousAngel16
Summary: They never thought that something like this, a life changing injury, would occur in a family like theirs. But then it did happen, to one of their most loved people. To Ziva. Slightly Tiva, Zibbs (father-daughter relationship) and a little bit of the rest of the team.
1. Part one

**A/N: Hi! So... I won't say that much except that this was a try at something... _different_. I really love Ziva and I truly love Cote, she's the best actress ever, but this is something that has been on my mind since my summer vacation. So yeah. Please leave a review and tell me what you think of the story! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the persons in this story except Doctor Jenkins. He's a good man. xD**

**Oh and this is kinda going in the Tiva direction. Duh, what else? :D **

**PA16**

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**-Blind-**

The constant tapping of the feet on the recently cleaned hospital floor was driving Gibbs crazy. He couldn't remember seeing his agent so nervous before but he wasn't silly, after all.

"Tony, stop it." Gibbs barked and faced the younger agent with a glare.

"Sorry, Boss. I'm just worried about her..." The agent said.

Gibbs nodded. "I know. And I am too. But we cannot do anything until they know what's wrong with her."

They both loved Ziva, everyone did, just on different levels. For Gibbs she was like the grown up daughter he couldn't have. He would have done everything for his protégé and it hurt seeing her in such situations.

For McGee she was a second sister. He trusted her with his heart and even though she made fun of him sometimes, mainly because she went along with Tony, he could tell her secrets that she kept.

Abby thought of her like the sister she never had. Even through the forensic specialist didn't like her at first, she grew to like her very much. In the last year the women went out to various clubs and had girls' nights together, to just have some fun, and Abby counted on Ziva.

For Jimmy she was the friendly, foreign cousin that lived far away the first years of her life. They didn't have much to do with each other outside of work, but even so she had always had an open ear for him.

Ducky felt like he had a granddaughter, much like with Abby, for whom he could care. He would always inquire to see if something was wrong with her and he would try to make it better. Whatever it was, he would have great advice for her and if she just wanted to share a glass of wine or something a bit stronger, he was there. Of course she would always go to Gibbs first, but there were some things that were better for the elder man's ears and not the agent's. Both Ducky and Gibbs accepted her decisions to whom she would go with her problems.

Then there was Tony. He considered her his partner, of course. She had his back and had saved him on different occasions, which he was indebted to her for. And she was his best friend, someone he could make fun of other people with. He could sit on a bench in a park for hours and just watch people and invent stories about those people, about their marriages and their jobs. But in the last years, since her time in Somalia, there was something else too. She was more than just his partner and best friend. He was deeply and irrevocably in love with her. After their time in Berlin he had the feeling that she felt the same and when they had their car crash, they watched over each other for a long time.

And now, after an attack by their current murder victim she was in the hospital. It wasn't like she was in critical condition, like she would be dying soon.

But... The guy, Maxwell, had sprayed something in her eyes. And before he could tell them what it was exactly and how the doctors could treat this kind of injury, Tony had put a bullet through his skull because Maxwell had pulled a gun out if his pocket, the vulnerable Ziva laying before him on the floor, clutching her eyes and screaming loudly, something they had never heard her doing before, not even in Somalia.

"Tony!" Gibbs barked and shook his agent's shoulder.

"What?" The startled agent mumbled.

"You heard what I said?"

"No, Boss..." Tony answered with an apologetic look.

"She's in room 148. We can see her and the doctor now." He smiled a bit and helped his agent up.

"Is she going to be okay?" Tony asked worriedly and didn't even try to hide his eagerness to know about her state.

"We'll see. Now come on!"

Both men made their way through the waiting area and into the corridor where her room was. When they arrived at room 148, Gibbs knocked and they heard a quiet, "Come in."

They could hear that the voice belonged to their colleague and friend and both men were surprised. They had expected worse, _much _worse.

When they entered the room, Ziva lay in a hospital bed with her eyes wide open and starring at the ceiling.

"I'm Doctor Jenkins." A young man in his early thirties said with a sympathetic smile.

"Special Agent Gibbs." The men shook hands while Tony just gave the doctor a small nod and walked closer to the bed.

"Gibbs!" Ziva said in a small voice.

"I'm here." He answered, sat down on one side of the bed and took her hand. "Tony is too."

She moved her head from right to left like she was trying to figure out where her best friend was.

"I'm here, Ziva." Tony said and repeated Gibbs' actions.

Before one of them could add something, Ziva had started crying and was furiously blinking her eyes. "Please, make it go away..." She murmured and squeezed their hands.

"What's wrong with her?" "Can't you do anything?" Both Gibbs and Tony asked the doctor at the same time.

"Agent Gibbs and... Tony," he said, "I'm sorry to have to say this, but your friend... She's blind." He said in a compassionate voice.

"What?" Gibbs asked and his eyes widened. "This son of a..." He didn't finish. Instead he leaned down, kissed Ziva on her forehead and whispered, "It's going to be okay, Ziver. I promise." And then he released her hand and nodded at Tony.

"Gibbs? Gibbs! Please, don't go." She quietly begged. They had never seen her like this before.

"I'll be back." He said and stroked over her brown hair in a loving, fatherly manner. "Promise."

She nodded and turned her head towards Tony, where she assumed he was. "Can _you_ stay?"

"I'm not going anywhere." He said and kissed her cheek softly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Meanwhile Gibbs had motioned for the doctor to leave the room too. They stood outside room number 148 and the agent asked, "Will she be blind forever? Or is there a small chance for her to recover?"

The doctor looked hesitant. "I'm not sure. There were chemicals in the spray. We know that those chemicals are very aggressive but the good news is that they were added in a really small dose. There's a minimal chance but seeing how strong her body is and that she didn't faint is a really good sign. We're doing everything we can and I even asked some colleagues from various hospitals and universities around in the world for some advice. We'll monitor how her condition changes. There is hope." When his pager made a disturbing sound, he took it out of the large pocket on his white coat.

"I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, I have to go." He excused himself, touched Gibbs' arm briefly and went down the hall. Gibbs sighed and went back into the room to comfort his 'daughter'.

#

Day and night came and went. With every passing day and even every passing hour Ziva became more scared. She couldn't do anything.

"Tony, I don't want to be in this state forever." Ziva suddenly whispered in the middle of the night. Tony had stayed from the first moment she was brought into the hospital.

"You won't." He said sternly and with confidence. Her condition had changed the day before; she could now notice when the lights were on and when they weren't. The doctors were more confident now that 24 hours had passed and her vision hadn't worsened, Gibbs, Tony, and the others believed Doctor Jenkins when he told them that she was getting better and there was 'hope'.

"Tony, I'm scared..." She whispered again and broke Tony's heart with such simple words.

"I know, Zi. And honestly? I'm scared too. But you have to know, that no matter what I'll be there. And not just for now, I want to be there forever." He said and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

"Thank you, Tony."

"Sleep, Ziva. I'll be here when you wake up." He gently closed the gap between them and touched her lips with his for barely a second.

"I love you."

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**I may be continuing this. But that depends on your reviews :) **


	2. Part two

_A/N: Here's the second part. Sorry for the long wait! Please, let me know what you think! There will probably be a third part, which is the last. _

_Enjoy! and leave a comment :) _

_PA16_

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**Blind- Part two**

It had been exactly fourteen days since Ziva was brought into the hospital. For the first week she was a wreck, scared and didn't want to believe it. But after eight days, the doctor finally had some good news. They gave her some kind of medication that should make the clouding in her eyes go away. They were sure it wouldn't take that long until she could finally see something again and even Ziva grew anxious. She wanted to see everybody _again_, really see them. Tony had been there almost every day and when he wasn't, Gibbs was. The others had visited her every second day, but even so, they still had to work. When Gibbs was there, Tony slept, showered, changed and went to work for several hours. When Tony was in the hospital, Gibbs did those things and it kind of grew like a routine for them.

And today, she was finally released to go home. It was her decision and the doctors originally wanted her to stay longer but she insisted on it. The medication took effect and Ziva could already see more than bright and dark. They made her promise to stay with someone and if something were wrong, that she or the person she stayed with, would call immediately. That someone she was going to stay with was Tony, of course.

At first, Gibbs had volunteered and almost insisted on her staying with him. But then suddenly, Ziva wanted to speak to him privately. Tony had gone out of the room without any comment and that already was suspicious to Gibbs.

Sitting on the hospital bed, for hopefully the last time, she remembered that day clearly as if it had been just yesterday.

_*Flashback*_

"Gibbs, I have to talk to you. In private," Ziva said and turned her head in the direction of her father figure and boss. Tony stood up and without a comment; he left the room, almost as if to flee away from something.

"What is it, Ziva?" Gibbs asked and squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"It is about the sleeping arrangements... Look. I really appreciate it that you are willing to accommodate me. But..." She hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath and then continued, "I would like to stay with Tony," she whispered, scared over his reaction.

"I thought so," he said and smiled. "Ziva, I'm happy for you two."

"You are?" She was surprised.

"Yes." He laughed a bit. "I always knew that you were going to hook up sooner or later." Ziva blushed.

"Then why rule number 12?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I hoped you would respect it and never break the rule. It was just a precaution."

Ziva nodded and asked in a whisper, "So we _can _stay at one place?"

"Yes. Just promise me one thing."

"Everything," she said with a huge smile on her face that made Gibbs happy.

"Rest. Don't let him force you to-"

"He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't take advantage of me, Gibbs," she interrupted him.

"Just saying." He smiled and stroked her hair. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and whispered, "I love you, Ziver."

She smiled and whispered, "I love you too, Abba."

His heart almost shattered because of this one small word that meant everything to them both.

_*End Flashback*_

"Ziva, you ready?" Tony asked and touched her hand. She sat on the bed, her head raised in the direction of the window, which was open. She listened to the birds singing and imagined herself sitting in the park and actually watching them.

"Yes," she whispered and stood up. Their hands intertwined and he whispered, "Let's go, Zi."

She nodded and followed him out of the hospital.

#

"Welcome back," Tony said with a smile and led Ziva into his apartment. "Watch it, there's a step..."

"I know." She turned her head to grin in his direction. "Remember that I was Mossad." Even after just two weeks she had grown a seventh sense, her mind concentrating more on what she was hearing rather than what she couldn't see.

"How could I forget? You're practically Wonder Woman."

He took her hand and led her to his couch, being aware that with all the things lying on his usually very clean floor, she would have tripped and worse, hurt herself. And for god's sake, he didn't want to see her in a hospital bed so soon again.

"Sit. And listen to some TV. Or do whatever you do best. I'll make us some dinner." He gently eased her down on the couch, handed her the remote, kissed her temple and left her alone with her thoughts, the noises of his apartment and at least _some_ light.

She was glad that she could now tell apart what was light and what was dark. A week ago all she ever saw was darkness that threatened to drive her crazy.

Ziva pressed a button on the remote and leaned back into her partner's couch. She felt safe and at home with him and ever since he admitted his feelings, she wasn't as unsure as she assumed she would be. She knew that Anthony DiNozzo would stay with her, no matter what would happen with her eyes. If she was going to be blind for forever, he would still be there and help her.

"Tony?" she suddenly had this urge to ask him something. She could hear his footsteps coming closer at a rather fast pace.

"Are you okay, Ziva?" he asked worried, crouched down before her and took one of her hands in his.

"Yes," she smiled. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," he said and squeezed her hands.

"Will you be with me forever?"

Silence filled the room and tears threatened to spill over her eyes. She hadn't even noticed them before now.

"I am sorry. I should not have asked that…" she whispered and tried to pull her hand away. _Maybe I should have stayed with Gibbs…_ she thought.

"Ziva, listen. If you want me to be with you, then I will. I'm there whenever you need me, as long as you want me. I told you already in the hospital. There's no place I'd rather be, sweetheart."

She sniffled, "Do not just say that..."

"I'm not. I love you. You hear me? And I will stay with you even if you're blind."

She nodded and extended her hand towards him. Her fingers touched his chest and she laid her hand on him, searching for his heart. "Thank you, Tony. I am so glad to have you as… as a friend."

He grabbed her hand, pressed it to his heart and said, "I'm not your friend. I'm more than that, don't you understand that? Don't you _want_ that?"

She bit her lip and whispered, "Of course I want that. I am not sure that you want this though. I am damaged goods, Tony. You deserve someone else." _Someone who can actually see_.

"You're all I've ever wanted, Ziva David." Tony leaned forward and placed his arms around her small frame.

"Please do not ever leave me…" she whispered and pressed her body against his.

"I won't," he promised.

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever. Every few minutes he would whisper those words, promising her that he was there and that he would never leave her. Ziva and Tony let themselves fall back on the couch, cuddling each other close and savoring the feelings.

Ziva's eyelids slowly closed and her breath evened.

Tony looked down and whispered, "I love you, Ziva." Tony stood up carefully, placed the blanket that lay on his couch over her and walked out of the living room and into his kitchen.

He never really used it often and if he was honest he would have liked to cook more. He usually had no time for that with his working hours and he was glad when he had a day off and could cook one of his grandmother's recipes.

He tried to be as quiet as possible while making pasta, from the worn out recipe lying before him on the counter.

Thirty minutes later he took the noodles and the sauce from the stove and prepared the plates for them. He put them on his dining table and went out into the living room to wake Ziva up.

He was surprised to see her sitting on his couch, staring at the TV with wide eyes.

"Ziva?" he unsurely asked. What was wrong with her?

"Tony." She almost screamed and turned her head towards him. Her eyes glistened with tears and he could see one roll down her cheek. Tony was by her side within seconds, holding her shoulders tightly.

"What? What is it Ziva? Is it all black again?"

"No. I… I can… I can _see_." She blinked a few times and the clouding in her eyes vanished with some tears. After that she stoop up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him tightly and laughing heartily. _Laughing_.

"I don't understand…" Tony whispered and furrowed his brow.

"I can see you, Tony. You are wearing this ridiculous red shirt from your favorite baseball team." She leaned away to see his face and grinned brightly at him.

"It's football, Ziva!" he exclaimed and glared at her. Then it struck him. _She_ could _see_ _him_. She saw the color of his shirt. "Ziva!" he screamed and his eyes widened much like hers had done moments ago. He stared at her and searched for something that indicated that she was lying and that her mentioning his shirt was just some coincidence.

She rolled her eyes and said again, "Please believe me. I really know what I am seeing." She turned around and started to walk into his hallway where his mirror hung.

Tony wanted to protest and help her walk because of all the things laying on his floor but seeing her making exact turns around those things made him _finally_ believe it. He followed her out and watched her standing close to the mirror, her hands on her face and her eyes narrowed.

"I can see…" she whispered again, almost not believing it herself. She turned her gaze back towards Tony, who was standing just a few inches away from her.

_Say something_, she told herself. _Tell him what he needs to hear._

She swallowed and opened her mouth.

"Tony, I…"


	3. Part three

**A/N: Hey guys :) This is the third and the last part of Blind. Sorry it took me so long, I kind of forgot about it with three other open projects... ^^ Thanks to you all who followed, favorited and most importantly reviewed. And special thanks to Mike for beta-reading and Nadja for being just herself 3 **

**Disclaimer: Still not mine xD **

**Enjoy! And leave me one last review, please? **

**PA16**

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_Previously on Blind:_

_She swallowed and opened her mouth.  
"Tony, I…"_

Her heart still beat furiously and Ziva almost choked on her own tears that were still streaming down her cheeks. "I… I have to go," she finally whispered.

"What?" Tony asked and furrowed his brows.

"I have to see Gibbs."

The man before her just nodded and swallowed. "Ziva…" She knew he wanted to talk, wanted to hear her say the words back to him, but she couldn't, not without talking to Gibbs first.

"I will be back," she said and leaned forward, "I promise you, Tony." She kissed his cheek softly and then turned around and opened his door to go.

"Ziva!"

She tuned at his voice. "What?"

He lifted his arm and said, "Catch."

Out of habit and with the best reflexes a woman could have she caught the keys for his car. She looked down at them and smiled.

"Keep these," he said and flung her another pair of keys. "And come back as soon as possible!"  
She caught his apartment keys too, winked at him and left to talk to her father figure.

Knock, knock.

Ziva knew it was unnecessary to knock, but she wanted Gibbs to open the door for her and see her on the doorstep. It was kind of silly, seeing as he would probably be in his basement, working on his newest boat and he would take a while to go upstairs. Before she could think more about him and his wooden projects or anything else, the door opened and she heard a sharp, "What?"

She pushed the door open, smiled and said, "Hey, Gibbs."

Gibbs eyes widened and he took her by the arm, leading her inside. "Ziver! What are you doing here?" He looked around her small frame outside and asked, "Where's Tony?"

"He's at home. I wanted to tell you something."

He nodded, led her to his couch and eased her down on it. He crouched down before her and laid his hands on her knees. "What is it, Ziver?"

"Well, we arrived at Tony's apartment and while he cooked, I listened to some silly cooking show or something and then, suddenly…" she stopped, just to put him on the rack and grinned at him.

"And then suddenly?" he asked and squeezed her knee encouragingly.

"I saw."

Much like Tony had done earlier, Gibbs looked confused and asked, "And what did you see, Ziva?"

"Gibbs, I saw everything again!" Ziva said and smiled.

His eyes widened and he was quiet for a second. "That can't be..." he murmured and touched her face.

Ziva covered his hand with hers and said, "But I mean it, Gibbs. I can see you!"

The man before her laughed, something Ziva didn't get to hear that often, and he pulled her in for a hug.

"My Ziva can see again!" he shouted and they both grinned. "What did Tony say?"

Ziva's smile vanished, her expression turned serious and her eyes looked down briefly. "He was surprised and he..."

Gibbs lifted his eyebrow and asked, "He what, Ziva?"

"He loves me and I... Gibbs, I do not know how to tell him that I will the same."

Gibbs sighed, pulled his arms from around her body and sat down beside her. "Ziva, believe me, he knows that."

"But how?"

"You wanted to stay with him. You cried while he was with you. I believe the old Ziva wouldn't have done that and he knows how much overcoming that must have taken you."

"Thank you... I really want to tell him that I love him too, but I cannot think of words to say to him..." Ziva sighed and fiddled with her hands.

"Just listen to your heart, Ziver."

Ziva nodded and stood up, whispering, "Thank you." She smiled, hugged Gibbs and said, "I have got something to do, now."

Gibbs grinned, kissed her on the cheek and told her, "Good luck! And please, don't come back next week! Neither you, nor DiNozzo!"

"Okay," Ziva said and turned around. She grabbed her things, among other things Tony's keys. "Bye!" she shouted back towards Gibbs, walked out of his house and to Tony's car. Within minutes she was back at his apartment, her heart beating away in her chest. She parked the car and looked up, seeing the lights in Tony's living room and kitchen. She almost sprinted up to his apartment and put the key in the lock.

"I am back," she called out, took off her jacket and hung it up.

"Hi," she heard Tony say and looked up at him.

He stood in the doorway to his kitchen, a hand towel slung over his shoulder and a dipper in his hand.

She bit her lip and walked towards him, noticing that he had tidied up the floor while she was gone.  
"I am sorry that I left in such a hurry earlier. I just had to talk to Gibbs."

He nodded and said, "I'm forgiving you. At least you're back."

"I am. So, what are you doing?"

He laughed and turned around, "Cooking! I warmed up the pasta from earlier and it's almost ready, you should help me."

"Okay," Ziva said and followed him into the kitchen. She was greeted with the pleasant aroma of Tony's cooking. "It smells delicious..."

"And it sure tastes delicious! Try it," he said. He dipped the spoon into the sauce, pulled it back out and held it over his hand so it wouldn't drip and make a mess.

Ziva swallowed before leaning down and trying the sauce from the spoon. She closed her eyes and let the taste overcome her.

"Wow," she whispered and opened her eyes. Tony was right there, closer than before and he watched her closely. There was no smile or grin in his lips and the seriousness in his eyes made her knees shake a tiny little bit.

"Ziva-" he began but she interrupted him.

"No, Tony. It is my part to say something. I am sorry that I left like that and I know I already told you that, but... Please, forgive me. This whole thing was just so painful for me and I had to get used to you being there the entire time." She took a step closer to him and touched his chest with her hand. "Thank you for everything you have done for me in these last days."

"It was my pleasure, Ziva," he whispered huskily. "I've told you before that I won't leave you, ever. You're important to me, more than anyone has ever been. I want you to know that."

Ziva nodded and patted his chest a few times. "Tony, I do know that. And I appreciate it so much. I just... You're important too," she whispered the last few words quietly.

She took a deep breath and then she told him, "And Tony... I love you too."

Ziva bit her lip and leaned in to touch his lips with hers. It was soft and short, but they expressed their feelings clearly, pouring everything into that simple kiss. Ziva sighed into it and fisted her hand into his shirt while Tony stroked her back and held her neck, pulling her toward him.

Their kiss lingered until they both needed to come up for air, gasping.

"Wow," Tony whispered and stroked her cheek softly.

Ziva nodded and licked her lips nervously. "Yes, indeed. We should do that... more often."

"I love you," he whispered and pecked her lips.

Ziva sighed quietly, loosened her hands on his shirt and sat down at the dinner table. "Now, Mr DiNozzo, let's eat," she said and smiled. She didn't have to say it back to him, he already knew how she felt. And he was okay with that, he had trouble himself with saying it, but on this day, at this very moment, shortly after their first kiss, he wanted to it out to the world and tell her over and over again.

Tony sat down and smiled to himself. "I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you, Ziva. And when I look at you, that's all I'm ever going to see, the woman I love. It doesn't matter if you're perfect. To me, you will be, and that's all that counts. It'll be that way always. Even years from now, when you're old and withered, I'll see you with my heart, not my eyes. That's just the way it is when you love someone. The imperfections don't exist. If you see them at all, you think they're beautiful," he whispered, grabbed her hand across the table and smiled reassuringly at the tears that glistened in her eyes.

There would come more nights like these, of that he was sure. More nights to come on which they kissed, held each other and whispered _the three little words_, where Tony repeated that quote again and again and again and when Ziva would smile and remember that whatever happened, she would not be alone. She had a family that she could count on, that cared for her and that would be there every day.

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**[Last thing Tony said was from Catherine Anderson, **_**Sweet Nothings**_**]**

**Review? ^^ If it isn't obvious, I'm addicted to them...!**


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